Water damage prevention for Airbnb hosts

by Britton JennerAugust 04, 2017

On New Year's Eve 2016, the Airbnb community celebrated its biggest night ever, with nearly 2 million guests expected to stay at listings worldwide. The growth of Airbnb is amazing with its last valuation at $30 Billion and there’s talk of an IPO. There are now are over 3 Million listings in 65,000 cities. That’s a lot of visitors to people’s homes.

In a recent article, CNET listed the top seven devices every BNB host should have in their home. They include a video doorbell, smart thermostat, security camera and media streamers. The main point is to have some insight into what’s happening in the property without being intrusive. There is one major omission.

In our discussions with landlords and homeowners, we’ve found that tenants or renters don’t often pay much attention to water use. This creates the possibility of an undetected toilet running for days, an unsupervised hot water heater springing a leak, or even a flood created by improper use of a shower. It’s unpleasant situation to discover extensive water damage well after their guest has left the premises. This could be prevented by receiving real time data about water consumption including alerts about abnormal water use, leaks and floods.

The Alert Labs Flowie water sensor and the Floodie companion sensor can be installed by Airbnb hosts in less than two minutes with no tools. Wherever they are, hosts can receive real time alerts about water use directly on their phone or desktop. Should something appear to go wrong, hosts can contact their guest proactively to minimize possible damage. Not only does this provide greater peace of mind for the host, it also is a benefit to the guest – especially if they can’t figure out how to turn off your new luxury 3-way shower.

For Airbnb hosts, insurance companies love this type of added protection and can offer discounts from 10-15 per cent on home insurance. The savings generated by installing the Alert Labs solution means they pay for themselves in two years or less.

As the Airbnb community grows and more homeowners become hosts, installing a Flowie and Floodie is a smart decision.

The City of Niagara Falls announces a new discount program to help promote water conservation among homeowners and property managers. Niagara residents and property managers can use the Flowie water flow sensor to help reduce wasted water by 18% to 23% on average.